A generalized strategy for controlled synthesis of ternary metal sulfide nanocrystals

Ternary metal sulfide nanocrystals (TMS NCs) have drawn intense attention for their wide applications in photovoltaics and nanophotonics, etc. However, a facile and general method for controlled synthesis of TMS NCs with uniform size and pure crystal phase is yet to be realized. Here we report a simple and versatile one-pot method for preparing high quality TMS NCs with controlled morphologies, sizes, crystalline structures and compositions, including orthorhombic Cu3BiS3 nanosheets and nanoparticles, orthorhombic Cu4Bi4S8 nanowires and nanoribbons, wurtzite CuInS2 nanopencils, cubic AgBiS2 nanocubes, orthorhombic Ag8SnS6 nanoparticles, and orthorhombic Cu3SnS4 nanorods, based on the co-thermal decomposition of metal-diethyl dithiocarbamate (metal-DDTC) precursors. We expect that this methodology will be broadly applicable for synthesizing new metal sulfide NCs and play an important role in exploring their new properties for various applications.